11 Facts About Ilyasah Shabazz

Ilyasah Shabazz was born on July 22,1962 and is an American author, community organizer, social activist, and motivational speaker.

Ilyasah Shabazz was named after Elijah Muhammad, leader of the Nation of Islam, the religious and Black nationalist group to which her parents belonged.

In February 1965, when she was two years old, Ilyasah Shabazz was present, with her mother and sisters, at the assassination of her father.

Ilyasah Shabazz says she has no memory of the event.

Ilyasah Shabazz had an apolitical upbringing in a racially integrated neighborhood in Mount Vernon, New York.

Ilyasah Shabazz considered an acting career, though her mother was not supportive.

Ilyasah Shabazz worked for the city of Mount Vernon for more than a dozen years, serving at different times as Director of Public Relations, Director of Public Affairs and Special Events, and Director of Cultural Affairs.

Ilyasah Shabazz wrote Growing Up X, her memoir of her childhood and her personal views on her father, in 2002.

In 2014, Ilyasah Shabazz wrote Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up to Become Malcolm X, a children's book about her father's childhood.

Ilyasah Shabazz is a trustee for the Malcolm X and Dr Betty Ilyasah Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center, the Malcolm X Foundation, and the Harlem Symphony Orchestra.

Ilyasah Shabazz grew up in Mount Vernon and presently lives in New Rochelle.